Women and two sons suffocate after being banished to ‘period hut’ in banned Hindu practice

A WOMAN and her two sons suffocated to death in Nepal after she was forced to sleep in a windowless shed during her period, police said, as the three became the latest victims of a banned Hindu practice which considers menstruation “impure”.

The 'chhaupadi' practice sees women banished to huts for the duration of their periods (Image: PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images)

Amba Bohara, 35, and her sons, aged 12 and nine, suffocated after huddling around a fire to keep warm during the freezing night after being banished to the mud and stone shack. The tiny shed was built for the women in the family to practice “chhaupadi”, an ancient tradition which sees menstruating girls shunned to animal sheds or huts for the duration of their period when they are thought to be impure. Officials said Ms Bohara’s father-in-law discovered the bodies the following morning.

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In addition to the dangers posed by sleeping in the chhau sheds, women are also barred from touching a range of items - including milk, religious idols and cattle - and must eat frugally.

Menstruating women and girls are also not allowed to meet other family members or venture out during their period.

Meghan Markle is among those fighting to improve the women’s rights and remove the stigma of menstruation.

In an open letter for International Women’s Day in 2017, she warned girls are missing out on an education in cultures where they are shamed for starting their periods.

She wrote: “Furthermore, with minimal dialogue about menstrual health hygiene either at school or home due to the taboo nature of the subject, many girls believe their bodies are purging evil spirits, or that they are injured once a month; this is a shame-filled reality they quietly endure.”

Meghan Markle has campaigned to remove the stigma around menstruation in some cultures (Image: GETTY IMAGES)

Human rights activists say the Nepali government's efforts to end the practice have been inadequate and urged tighter monitoring.

Mohana Ansari of the National Human Rights Commission said: "That a woman dies with her children during menstruation is one of the biggest tragedies.

But officials say battling centuries-old attitudes is not easy.

Rudra Devi Sharma, from Nepal’s Women and Child Welfare ministry, said: "The government has implemented awareness programmes to root out the practice.

"But it is taking time because it needs the society and families to change their thinking."